Cravings and hunger: why you want sweets when you diet

You lose weight, and suddenly all you think about is something sweet. There are usually several causes behind it, so it helps to know them.

Short answer: There are usually several causes: a very strict diet, too little protein and fibre, and for some women the days around their period. Sweet food is also a fast source of energy, so when you are tired and hungry from dieting, that is what your body asks for. It does not want to wait for hours.

A very strict diet

If you lose weight too fast, big tiredness and hunger show up. Think of your body as a finance manager. Its expenses are huge (a big deficit), so it wants more money in the savings account. Here money means calories. It gets you to eat more through cravings and hunger. And like any good manager, it also cuts spending: it makes you very tired. A tired client walks less, gestures less when talking, and saves energy everywhere. The body does not want to go bankrupt, just like us.

Your body does not know you are doing this for how you look. It sees the books and acts to survive. So when clients tell me about heavy tiredness and hunger, I use a diet break, which is a planned pause from dieting.

Too little protein and fibre

Cravings also come when you get too little protein and fibre. That can be over the whole day, or in the meals right before the cravings arrive. More on building meals that fill you up is in what to eat to lose weight.

Why sweet

When you eat less and move more, you are often tired and hungry, and your body wants energy fast. Sweet food is the quickest source of it. Simple sugars are digested and absorbed fast, mostly in the small intestine, so the energy arrives quickly.

Compare that with beans. The carbs in beans come with a pile of protein and fibre, so you feel fuller, you digest more slowly, and the sugars are released into your blood more slowly. Your blood sugar stays steadier.

Now think like your body. When you are tired and hungry, you do not want to wait several hours for energy that arrives in small steps. So it sends the signal "we want something sweet", and you deliver the energy right away.

Around your period

Some women get lower blood sugar around their period, and it shows up as stronger cravings. Often it is enough to allow yourself a little something sweet and keep your priorities, and it passes. If you are a woman, expect more kilos on the scale and bigger measurements around your period. That is temporary water retention, and it goes away again. How much it is differs for every woman.

What helps

• If your diet is very strict and you feel very tired and hungry, a diet break can help.
• Check your protein and fibre, over the whole day and in the meal before the time cravings usually hit.
• Choose slower carbs such as beans, which keep blood sugar steadier than something sweet.
• Around your period, allow a little something sweet and keep your priorities.

Your body has its own agenda: survival. Believe me, survival is a much stronger reason than abs. The body is a master of survival, and a fascinating one.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I crave sweets when I lose weight?

There are usually several causes: a very strict diet, too little protein and fibre, and for some women the days around their period. Sweet food is also a fast source of energy, so when you are tired and hungry from dieting, that is what your body asks for.

Why am I so hungry and tired on a strict diet?

When you lose weight too fast, your body acts to survive. It pushes you to eat more with cravings and hunger, and it makes you tired so that you move less and save energy. With heavy tiredness and hunger, a diet break, which is a planned pause from dieting, can help.

Why do beans fill me up better than sweets?

Beans bring a pile of protein and fibre along with their carbs. You feel fuller, you digest more slowly, and the sugars reach your blood more slowly, so your blood sugar stays steadier.

Why do I crave sweets around my period?

Some women get lower blood sugar in that time, and it shows up as stronger cravings. Often it is enough to allow yourself a little something sweet and keep your priorities. The extra weight and bigger measurements around your period are temporary water retention.

Sources, so you can check:

1) This article comes from my coaching practice and cites no studies of its own. It is how I explain cravings to my clients.

Martin Barna

Online nutrition and fitness coach. Since 2013 I have helped 600+ people lose fat and keep the result. Science, not crash diets.

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This article is for information only. It is not medical advice. If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor.